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The Syndicate
The Syndicate started as a "neighborhood watch" group in LY 910, in Plist. It was co-founded by Joxx Trailblaze and Rintel Bestbuy. They believed that crime, particularly in the form of gangs, was getting to be too much for the police to handle on their own. And so, the two of them began contacting like-minded individuals around the village, and developed a plan whereby they would all spend a certain amount of their free time patrolling both residential and business districts, to keep an eye on things. If they spotted anything that seemed suspicious, they could call the police to report it; however, if the police were unwilling or unable to respond in a prompt manner, they could also report it to fellow members of the Syndicate. Those members could then quickly assemble in the area where trouble was brewing, to deal with the situation themselves. In the early days of the Syndicate's existence, there was some resistance from certain members of the community, as well as from the police. Not everyone trusted the Syndicate, considering them vigilantes at best; at worst, there was the fear that they might evolve into a gang, themselves. Their resources, in terms of both money and manpower, were quite limited, so they could generally only manage to offer protection to those who made some type of investment in or support of the group. For this reason, there were those citizens who considered the services they offered to be a protection racket, or at least a fear-mongering, money-making scheme. There were also those who simply couldn't afford to contribute to they Syndicate, as well as some who refused offers of help from the group, even going so far as to say they'd call the police to report the Syndicate themselves as intruders if they were spotted near their property. However, the group eventually began to gain greater acceptance in Plist, in large part because their help was accepted by Adolpho Citman, whose ha'cit orchard had been plagued by theft and sabotage for some time (reportedly by members of InterGang). When it was seen that the Syndicate was able to offer real protection, thereby saving his business, people began to trust them more. Since that time, the Syndicate has grown in numbers, and spread to other villages, most notably Tanq (where a branch was opened in 911, by Brian Fishmonger, son of Carson Fishmonger). In 912, the chief of Tanq's police department, Quinn Darkstrider, ran for monarch, and one of the stances he took was that InterVil should make an effort to coordinate efforts with the Syndicate, providing them with training and support, and officially recognizing them as an authorized, autonomous law-enforcement group. Prior to his campaign, he had already had his own department work with the local branch of the Syndicate, with generally positive results. Of course, it should be noted that the police themselves had started out in much the same way as the Syndicate, almost seven centuries earlier. It had soon been realized that it was necessary to establish official rules to govern the vigilante groups that had arisen back then, which was what led to properly organizing the police. Darkstrider recognized that public fears about allowing a group like the Syndicate to operate without oversight could be dangerous, which, in addition to insufficient manpower within the police, was a large part of what led to his desire to integrate the Syndicate and the police. It would allow the authorities to make sure the Syndicate didn't develop into a gang, or break any laws while attempting to protect themselves or those who paid for their services. After he won the election, and was sworn into office in 913, he carried through on his integration, and the Syndicate has become a valuable and more widely trusted auxiliary branch of the police, throughout both First Nation and the United Villages of the Chaos. Category:Groups